Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage condition setting device and a data storage system for vehicle diagnosis.
Description of the Related Art
In the event that an electronic control device (ECU) detects an abnormality symptom during driving of a vehicle, data and a failure code (DTC: Diagnostic Trouble Code) indicative of the abnormality symptom are stored. However, even in the case that the ECU does not store a DTC, cases occur in which the driver senses an abnormality symptom. In order to analyze cases of this type, a technique has been disclosed in which a specified type of diagnostic data is stored at a timing not accompanied by storage of a DTC (see, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U52003/0050747, hereinafter referred to as “US2003/0050747A1”).
According to US2003/0050747A1, a function modifying information transmission process is disclosed, by which function modifying information is corrected for storing the specified vehicle data at a designated timing (abstract, FIG. 9). More specifically, in US2003/0050747A1 (abstract, FIG. 9, paragraphs [0085] to [0091]), when a predetermined operation is performed with respect to an input unit of a terminal device 20, an operator in charge of vehicle repairs transmits to a center 30 the input failure information 32 (step S600), and the terminal device receives analytical information including the corresponding function modification information (step S610: YES). Furthermore, the terminal device 20 makes a request to an ECU 10 for a software product number 34 of a control program including a diagnostic program 12 (step S630), and acquires from the center 30 a data assignment table 35 (steps S640, S650). In addition, using the data assignment table 35, the terminal device 20 converts the function modifying information according to the control program (step S660), and transmits the function modifying information to the ECU 10 (step S670). In the ECU 10, the function modifying information is stored in the form of a table, and the diagnostic program 12 stores vehicle data on the basis of the function modifying information.
Within the failure information 32 transmitted to the center 30, there are contained a diagnostic code 321 read out from the ECU 10, a failure situation 322, a vehicle name 323, an engine name 324, and a production time period 325 that are input by the operator in charge of repairs (see FIG. 8 and paragraph [0086]). Further, instead of being input by the operator in charge of repairs, the vehicle name 323, the engine name 324, and the production time period 325 may be acquired from the ECU 10 (see paragraph [0086]).